Ronnie Biggs finally regrets his crimes... 24 hours too late

Ronnie Biggs has finally expressed some 'regret' for his crimes and admitted he has not led a 'faultless' life.

The comments come in a statement that the Great Train Robber had been due to release today - the day he had hoped to be freed from prison.

The Parole Board had said the frail 79-year-old should be let out, but on Wednesday Justice Secretary Jack Straw rejected the recommendation, calling Biggs 'wholly unrepentant'.

'Regret': Ronnie Biggs after he was arrested in 1963 - and leaving Chiswick Police Station in 2001

In 1963 Biggs was part of a gang that stole £2.6million from a mail train.

Train driver Jack Mills was coshed, suffering serious injuries. He never fully recovered, and died seven years later.

Biggs was given a 30-year sentence but escaped after 15 months. He went on the run abroad before returning voluntarily in 2001 and being jailed.

In a letter prepared in Norwich jail last week in anticipation of his release, Biggs wrote: 'The man who came back to Britain in 2001 and who has now been released early from prison is a very different man to the one who went on the run 45 years ago.

Fugitive: Biggs in Rio de Janeiro promoting his book in 1994

'I am not a perfect man who has led a faultless life, but I am a better man for the experiences of the past 45 years.

'It is said that I have no regrets, but that isn't true. I have always regretted that Mr Mills was injured and put under such pressure during and after the trial.

'I have always regretted the hurt I caused by my actions, and especially to my own family and friends.'

His family claimed that Biggs, who has had a series of strokes, is 'close to death' after learning that he would not be freed.